Hydropower is a renewable resource that is derived from the force or energy of moving water. For centuries hydropower has been used to accomplish tasks such as milling, pumping, sawing timber, and manufacturing. More recently, hydropower's usefulness as a source for electric power generation has been more fully exploited and today comprises a significant portion of the world's electricity needs.
Harnessing a waterway's kinetic energy is challenging. For example, placing conventional hydroelectric turbines in a waterway will not result in significant power creation because the turbines are generally designed for high head conditions, e.g., a dam or waterfall, and thus will not rotate at an appreciable rate in a free flowing environment. As another example, use of a modified wind turbine, e.g., waterproof, different blade designs, etc., to capture waterway energy, has also proved unsuccessful because of an inability to survive standard waterway conditions, suffering from sheared blades during standard river conditions and an inability to handle the torque produced by the flowing water. Obvious improvements like stronger materials for turbine blades have not proved sufficient to allow for sustainable operation.